Medical research supports both brain exercise and body exercise for our health. Given the quest for deeper understanding researchers next wondered if the brain or the body led the way in staying healthy. Boris Cheval et al published their attempt to determine the race between brain and body in Health Psychology.
By monitoring cognitive function and physical activity in a European group from age 50 to 90, they hoped to see which led the way. They used a variety of statistical models to conclude that cognitive capacity was the primary driver. This means that by keeping cognitive functions sharp with practice, one is more likely to keep up with physical health.
A functional MD like myself would add this… why choose? Make sure you are getting exercise for both your brain and your body. Read a challenging book, learn a new language, play Scrabble. Go for a walk, turn off the TV, play with your kids in the back yard. The chances that you will live a healthier more abundant life increases as you engage in both cognitive exercise and physical exercise.
Original Article:
Boris Cheval, Dan Orsholits, Stefan Sieber, Delphine Courvoisier, Stéphane Cullati, Matthieu P. Boisgontier. Relationship between decline in cognitive resources and physical activity.. Health Psychology, 2020; DOI: 10.1037/hea0000857
Thanks To Science Daily:
Université de Genève. “Brain or muscles, what do we lose first?.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 March 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200324113419.htm>.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
